Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportion in the United States and a number of countries throughout the world, increasing among all age, race and ethnic groups and in both men and women. Overweight and obesity are also associated with other diseases or conditions that disrupt life activities and lifestyles. Obesity is recognized as a serious risk factor for other diseases and conditions such as type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and cardiovascular, pulmonary, fatty liver disease, neurologic, and hepatic, and renal disease.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease that has likewise reached epidemic proportion. There is no established cure for type II diabetes, but there are numerous recognized treatments that attempt to delay or mitigate the inevitable consequences of the disease. Type 2 diabetes is initially treated by adjustments in diet and exercise, and by weight loss, most especially in obese subjects. The amount of weight loss which improves the clinical picture is sometimes modest (e.g., 4.4 to 11 lbs.); this is likely due to poorly understood aspects of fat tissue activity, for instance chemical signaling (especially in visceral fat tissue in and around abdominal organs).
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for new treatments for controlling and treating the overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics. It is an object of this disclosure to provide ALK7-binding proteins and uses of the same in the diagnosis and treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and their associated conditions; metabolic disorders, and other diseases or conditions that can be treated, prevented or ameliorated by targeting ALK7.